1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a yoke straightening fixture and particularly to a fixture which is designed to engage between the ears of yoke of a yoke shaft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various shaft straightening devices are known in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 4,594,757 to Johnson, Jr. and U.S. Pat No. 4,696,190 to Bucher et al. each disclose tube straightening devices and are incorporated herein by reference. However, each of these references suffers from the drawback that it is difficult to align the ends of the shafts with the straightening device.
The prior art straightening devices have difficulty aligning drive shafts having a universal joint welded to one end to the straightening device. Using these prior art devices requires eyeballing the center of the holes of the joint yoke which receives the spider, and rotating the yoke and eyeballing the centers of the holes to assure alignment of the shaft with the straightening device. Other methods include using sensors or calipers to sense and manipulate the shaft end into alignment with the straightening device. Such prior art devices are cumbersome time consuming and in accurate.
U.S. Pat. 5,644,853 to Dixon discloses a Broad head aligner. However, this aligner merely discloses a cone-shaped recess to receive the point of the head of the arrow.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a yoke straightening fixture which engages the ears of a universal joint to quickly and accurately align the centerline of the shaft with the straightening device while simultaneously providing a connection therebetween.
The present invention comprises a fixture adapted to engage the ears of a yoke which is attached to a yoke shaft. The fixture has a longitudinal extending central bore to facilitate an aligned connection to a connecting member of a straightening device. The fixture comprises a pair of opposing recesses configured to receive and retain opposite ears of a yoke which is attached to a shaft to be straightened. The opposing recesses are dimensioned to align the shaft with the fixture and consequently align the shaft with the straightening device. Two pairs of opposing recesses may be employed in a single fixture to facilitate connection to different size yokes.